OTTAWA — The National Capital Commission’s board unanimously approved a new master plan for the Greenbelt Wednesday that will guide planning for the 26,000-hectare swath of forests, wetlands, farms and streams encircling Ottawa’s urban core for the next decade.

“This is a cornerstone of our planning framework,” said CEO Jean-François Trépanier. The new master plan, he said, “will influence the capital region, and Ottawa in particular, for years to come.”

The new plan, which was five years in the making, replaces a master plan adopted in 1996. It puts preservation of the natural environment as its first priority, which the NCC says will mean a greener Greenbelt in future.

It expands natural areas by adding 481 hectares of lands adjacent to the Greenbelt. But because the plan removes 1,320 hectares of Ottawa airport lands from the Greenbelt, its total size will actually shrink marginally.

Sustainable agriculture is another focus of the new plan, which protects about 5,800 hectares of land for things such as community gardens, market gardens, mixed farms and pick-your-own operations.

The plan also gives priority to the Greenbelt’s use as a recreational resource, with plans to expand and link up the existing 150-kilometres of trails used for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and bird watching.